Some conventional Ethernet network systems support optional Forward Error Correction (FEC) protocols as an additional measure of packet integrity, which may be useful on channels having marginal quality. FEC protocols are processor intensive, and enabling FEC protocols typically degrades system performance, latency and increase the overall power demand of a network node. In the conventional Ethernet approach, FEC protocols are enabled during an auto-negotiation period between link partners. However, the auto-negotiation period is typically agnostic to the actual quality of the channels between link partners. Instead, the conventional network system measures channel quality during a link training sequence, which is performed after the auto-negotiation period and before the data mode period. Once enabled, the conventional network system does not provide for dynamic adjustment to an FEC state. Thus, while channel quality parameters may change during data mode operations, the conventional network system is not capable of dynamically enabling/disabling FEC protocols during a data mode, and thus, the conventional Ethernet network system may unnecessarily degrade system performance and latency and increase the overall power demand of the network segment and/or degrade packet integrity.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.